HOW will Prime Minister Tony Abbott deal with legislation for all the Carlton supporters who have declared themselves stateless?

— RON MANSON, Old Beach.

Asylum seekers

PRIME Minister Tony Abbott’s “nope” attitude to the Rohinga people is absolutely appalling.

It demeans us Australians as human beings.

We are now seen to be an irresponsible, selfish and a greedy country with a leader who defends his uncaring attitude with simplistic word manipulation to justify ignoring these destitute people.

— CAROLINE BALL, 

Greens

FIRSTLY the Captain of the Green flagship Christine Milne hands in her notice and now corvette Captain Kim Booth jumps ship on a day’s notice as they realise that the Green economic and moral cancer is terminal.

— MICHAEL SCOTT, South Hobart.

Nikolic

WILL B. Martin, Garry Budgeon, Mick Leppard, all letter writers in The Examiner Saturday,  May 24, blaming Bass Liberal MHR Andrew Nikolic of doing nothing to stop the closure of the John L Grove centre eat their words after the recent announcement that the centre is now safe thanks to the hard work put in by Mr Nikolic who has helped in the securing of $10 million to keep it open?

— DAVID PARKER, West Launceston.

Shorten

OPPOSITION Leader Bill Shorten was filmed giving a speech on the government's infrastructure program in his usual mesmerising way.

As usual he didn't have a good word to say.

It appeared that he was in  a school library and maybe his minders should have inspected the signs that loomed each side of Mr Shorten's head.

They read 'junior fiction'. Somewhat apt.

— GLENNIS SLEURINK, Launceston.

Salmon

THE death of some 270 tonnes of salmon (that’s about 85,000 fish) due to what Petuna Seafoods describe as a `one off’ storm surge in Macquarie Harbour in my opinion epitomises all that is wrong with the expanding Tasmanian salmon fish farm industry.

A senate inquiry cannot come quickly enough.

What is interesting is the response Petuna Seafoods chief executive Mark Porter gives in relation to the deaths, "We were actually one of the farms that lost far fewer fish over the summer".

Let’s face it, we cry foul over the conditions  of battery hens, yet the allowable density levels of the salmon pens is anywhere from 7.5 kilograms-15 kilograms per square cubic metre.

Bringing all issues to the surface through an inquiry will allow the industry to move forward in the correct manner.

— ROBERT LEE, Summerhill.

Abbeyfield

REGARDING the article about Launceston's Abbeyfield House (Talks over prisoner centre, May 22). 

Firstly, the Launceston Abbeyfield House is closing for financial reasons.

It would have been grossly irresponsible for the Launceston Abbeyfield Society not to consider the financial viability of the House and it has worked hard to assist its few remaining residents secure alternative housing or aged care.

I am proud to stand behind our Abbeyfield volunteers.

They should be publicly lauded for their dedication and service over 20+ years.

Secondly, at no point have I had negotiations with the Salvation Army about ex-prisoner accommodation.

I have had a single brief telephone call with one Salvation Army representative in response to his impromptu visit to the House.

The Salvation Army is a highly respected organisation but I have had no negotiations with it.

Over coming months Abbeyfield Australia will seek to work with other community organisations in the Launceston region to plan a new future the House.

One option may be that the House be used for Abbeyfield Housing for adults with a mild intellectual disability. 

But much community consultation needs to occur prior to firm plans being made.

What is guaranteed is that any eventual use must be sustainable and supported by the local 

community.

Finally, the article cites a former casual weekend cook/housekeeper, who, unlike the Committee of Management, is not aware of the full complexities and finances, yet has chosen to vilify our volunteers with extremely tasteless and offensive remarks, which I reject outright. 

— CHRIS RESIDE, Abbeyfield Australia chief executive..

Barnados

I RECENTLY had the honour of representing Tasmania as the Barnados Mother of the Year state finalist in Sydney (The Examiner, April 16).

Prime Minister Tony Abbott presented Leanne Robson from Queensland the award for the national Mother of the Year for 2015, and she is truly a deserving winner who fosters children with special needs.

It was a privilege to spend the Mother’s Day weekend with the other state finalists, and to learn more about the work that Barnados Australia do.

Unfortunately, Barnardos Australia do not operate in Tasmania, but do incredible work with children, families and the community as the leading child protection charity in Australia, committed to stopping child abuse and neglect.

Words can’t express how blessed we have been to have so much support from our local community since my son Noah and husband Aaron passed away within a few months of each other.

Although it is still hard every day, the support that we have received has helped us to know that we are not alone.

There are so many amazing mothers in our state, so it was truly an overwhelming honour to represent Tasmania this year.

— LISA KING, Newstead.

Duck shoving

IT’S time the wretched logic that aiding refugees is akin to aiding people smugglers, was well and truly scuppered.

When we assist those with drug addiction or the victims of domestic violence is that akin to assisting drug traffickers and violent men?

What's the difference?

Well, drug addicts and women make choices don't they so stop drug trafficking and lock up all violent men then the problems will go away?

We have known the answers to these questions for a very long time.

Drug abuse will never go away by arresting traffickers.

The war on drugs has been a complete failure.

The choices for women in violent relationships and the dearth of protection afforded them is a tragedy that is writ large every week at every level of society and corner of our country.

Stopping the boats does not stop the desperation of refugees and their need to flee.

It is nothing more than a selfish duck shove to countries less well off and in closer proximity to the source than we are.

Stop the duck shoving.

Now there's a slogan.

I'm all right Jack is another.

T'is a fine Christian country we are indeed.

— TONY NEWPORT, Hillwood.

Unprotected people

Women and children, faceless, frightened, starving, dehydrated, without identity or representation, hidden from cameras or press and eventually locked up to face more persecution.

This is what our government calls a “success story”?

We have aided and abetted a shameful “regional solution,” which is now being called into international question.

Thailand already has a reputation as a bad citizen.

Malaysia is scarcely better when it comes to so-called “illegal” migrants.

Australia, as a significant leading country in the Asian region, should have adopted a major role in seeking a more humane solution.

We have, or at least had, a world wide reputation as a caring society, a country built on openness and friendship particularly to those in need, a country born from immigration and expanded through welcoming people fleeing hardship, torture and other forms of cruelty.

What has happened to us?

Where is our government taking us?

And where, we might well ask, is the Opposition’s voice in all of this?

Ominously silent it would seem.

Perhaps because they too, had and continue to have, a hand in this abominable persecution of fragile and unprotected people.

— SANDY HELEY, St Helens.

University

I READ with interest in The Examiner (May 20) the comments by two university students on the proposed move:

Parking would become an issue.

They have just built a new student centre at the Newnham site.

The University of New England in Armidale was established in 1954 as Australia’s first regional university and is therefore similar to the Launceston campus.

It is located 3½ kilometres from the city centre.

Like Launceston there is a regular bus service and it has excellent sporting facilities.

In "Hobson’s Universities Guide” it gets five stars for socio economic equity, graduate satisfaction and overall satisfaction.

The only universities in the city centres are the old universities of Melbourne, Sydney and Adelaide.

The Sandy Bay campus of UTAS is hardly in the CBD.

Inveresk is very low lying and prone to flooding, some new student accommodation is being built on stilts.

The one in 200 year flood could occur next week, who knows when.

If a few kilometres is going to stop people from embarking on university studies, how serious are they about it?

— MALCOLM SCOTT, Life Member of the Australian College of Educators.